A Waterloo, Iowa man died when he apparently suffered a head injury when he fell from his bicycle.

Police say evidence at the scene indicates Todd Parsons Western Jr., 64, of Waterloo fell from his bike while riding along a street under construction and struck his head. The man left his home late in the evening, and his body was found the next morning by a neighbor.

Police said it appears he rode into a yard to go around the construction site, but then entered the work area. Western wasn’t wearing a bicycle helmet. The reports did not indicate if his bicycle was equipped with a light.

Takeaways:

Wear a helmet!

Use a light at night

Don’t take shortcuts through construction sites

Police said foul play is not suspected in the man’s death, but an autopsy is planned.

One response to “A Reminder That Helmets Can Save Lives”

Another example, from Council Bluffs, Iowa: Riding the Wabash Trace late at night with no lights, Greg Anderson missed a small turn on his bicycle and tumbled 3 to 4 feet into a culvert.

The fall left Anderson, 48, with bruised and fractured vertebrae — he is fighting paralysis at Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha. It could have been much worse, said his wife, Terri Anderson. She credited his cycling helmet and the group of riders around him with saving his life.

“I think that’s important that people know that,” Terri Anderson said. “He would probably not be here today if he didn’t have a helmet.”